NYC Residents Troll Emergency Alert System for Delayed Earthquake Warning

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 8: in The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as Lower Manhattan is viewed at dusk, September 8, 2016 in New York City. New York City is preparing to mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In the wake of a sudden and surprising earthquake felt across the New York City metropolitan area on Friday, April 5, residents are ripping apart the city's emergency alert system.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m., a 4.8-magnitude earthquake rippled out from the Lebanon, New Jersey area and was felt in parts of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut, too.

But the emergency alert system didn't warn about the event until approximately 40 minutes later, startling people in the vicinity with a loud and persistent alarm to warn them, "4.7 magnitude earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured."

Recipients of the message were less than grateful for the 40-minute post-earthquake resource and took to Twitter to point out how unhelpful the alert was—not to mention how ill-prepared it makes the city seem for a future emergency.

One called the delay "so on brand for humanity," while plenty of others drew attention its complete ineffectiveness.

Some specifically made jokes about the team operating the alert system, sarcastically thanking those responsible for the delay for their service:

Others pointed out how jarring it was to hear the alert's tone ringing out into the silence, with it causing more concern than the earthquake itself had:

At the time of writing, there were no known reports of damage or injuries as a result, though the Holland Tunnel connecting NYC and Jersey City, NJ and the runways at JFK and Newark airports were temporarily closed for inspection.

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